2023 Red Sea Crisis

MK 31 RAM Launcher in the 2023 Red Sea Crisis

German frigate Hessen used its RAM/RIM-116 close-range missile-defense system during EUNAVFOR Aspides in the Red Sea, with reporting identifying a February 27, 2024 Houthi one-way UAV shootdown by RAM.

Weapon profileMK 31 RAM Launcher
SideEuropean Union maritime forcesRoleAir DefenseForce Protection
MK 31 RAM Launcher, Surface-to-air missile launcher, Air Defense - 2023 Red Sea Crisis
Image source: Mk31 Rolling Airframe Missile Launcher photo

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Hessen used RIM-116 RAM against a Houthi one-way UAV in the Red Sea on February 27, 2024.

Sources: Janes Hessen UAV Intercepts, Missile Woes For German Navy, German Frigate Fought Off Houthi Drones

The engagement occurred during Germany's EUNAVFOR Aspides deployment for Red Sea maritime-security and shipping-protection operations.

Sources: Bundeswehr EUNAVFOR Aspides, Janes Hessen UAV Intercepts

Bundeswehr lists RAM as Hessen's close-range air-defense missile layer for airborne threats.

Sources: Bundeswehr EUNAVFOR Aspides, Bundeswehr Aspides Air Defense

CENTCOM reported a same-day coalition Red Sea engagement against Houthi one-way UAVs, but did not identify Hessen or RAM in that release.

Sources: CENTCOM Feb. 27 Red Sea Update

Post-deployment reporting observed missing rounds in Hessen's forward RAM launcher after the Red Sea mission.

Sources: German Navy Wraps Red Sea Mission

Timeline

MK 31 RAM Launcher In 2023 Red Sea Crisis

  1. Germany begins Aspides participation with Hessen

    Bundeswehr says Germany has participated in EUNAVFOR Aspides since February 23, 2024, initially with the F124 frigate Hessen.

    Sources: Bundeswehr EUNAVFOR Aspides

  2. Hessen uses RAM against a Houthi UAV

    Janes reported that Hessen engaged a second Houthi one-way UAV with its RIM-116 RAM short-range defense system after first using the 76 mm gun against another UAV.

    Sources: Janes Hessen UAV Intercepts, Missile Woes For German Navy, German Frigate Fought Off Houthi Drones

  3. Hessen returns with visible RAM launcher expenditure

    Naval News reported that Hessen returned from its Red Sea mission with two missing rounds visible in the forward RAM launcher, after not restocking the spent RAM missiles from the earlier engagement.

    Sources: German Navy Wraps Red Sea Mission

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The MK 31 RAM Launcher is represented in the 2023 Red Sea Crisis through documented RAM/RIM-116 use by the German F124 frigate Hessen. Janes reported that Hessen repelled two Houthi one-way attack UAVs in the Red Sea on February 27, 2024, and that a German Federal Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the second UAV was engaged with the ship's RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile short-range defense system.

Naval News and The War Zone separately described the same Hessen engagement in EUNAVFOR Aspides reporting, naming RAM or RIM-116 as the missile system used after the ship first engaged another drone with its 76 mm gun. The public combat reports identify RAM/RIM-116 rather than the U.S. MK 31 designation, so the conflict-use claim is tied to the RAM launcher system carried by Hessen rather than a source that explicitly says "MK 31" in the engagement.

Sources: Janes Hessen UAV Intercepts, Missile Woes For German Navy, German Frigate Fought Off Houthi Drones

Timeline

Germany joined EUNAVFOR Aspides after the Bundestag mandate on February 23, 2024, initially sending Hessen to the Red Sea mission. Bundeswehr describes Aspides as a defensive maritime-security operation to protect shipping from Houthi attacks and lists RAM among Hessen's close-range air-defense weapons.

On February 27, Hessen conducted its first reported Red Sea defensive engagements. Janes attributes the first UAV intercept to the ship's 76 mm gun and the second to RIM-116 RAM. CENTCOM's same-day Red Sea update reported that U.S. aircraft and a coalition warship shot down five Houthi one-way attack UAVs in the Red Sea, providing wider coalition event context without naming Hessen or RAM. After the deployment, Naval News noted visible missing rounds in Hessen's forward RAM launcher on its return to Wilhelmshaven.

Sources: Bundeswehr EUNAVFOR Aspides, Janes Hessen UAV Intercepts, CENTCOM Feb. 27 Red Sea Update, German Navy Wraps Red Sea Mission

Operational role

In this conflict, Hessen's RAM system served as a shipborne point-defense layer for European Union maritime forces. Bundeswehr describes the F124 frigate as an air-defense ship with SM-2, ESSM, and RAM missiles; its EUNAVFOR Aspides page identifies RAM as the close-range missile option for airborne threats.

The documented February 2024 use fits the system's close-defense role against UAVs approaching coalition or merchant-shipping protection operations in the Red Sea. The available public evidence supports one specific RAM/RIM-116 drone engagement by Hessen, plus post-deployment observations of spent RAM rounds; it does not establish every missile fired by Hessen during the deployment or identify the RAM block variant used in the intercept.

Sources: Bundeswehr EUNAVFOR Aspides, Bundeswehr Aspides Air Defense, Janes Hessen UAV Intercepts, German Navy Wraps Red Sea Mission

Related Weapons by Role

RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile, Ship-launched surface-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsRIM-116 Rolling Airframe MissileShip-launched surface-to-air missileThe RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile is a U.S.-German ship self-defense missile used with the MK 31 RAM guided missile weapon system and SeaRAM launchers. U.S. Navy and Raytheon sources describe it as a lightweight, quick-reaction, fire-and-forget weapon for close defense against anti-ship missiles and other air or surface threats, while Red Sea reporting documents a German frigate firing a RIM-116 against Houthi drones in 2024.
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Standard Missile-2 (SM-2), Shipboard surface-to-air missile family, MunitionsMunitionsStandard Missile-2 (SM-2)Shipboard surface-to-air missile familyThe Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) is a Raytheon-built shipboard surface-to-air missile family used by U.S. and allied navies for fleet area air defense and ship self-defense. Aegis ships launch SM-2 from vertical launch systems, guide it by inertial navigation and mid-course commands, and use semi-active radar or infrared terminal homing in later medium-range blocks. U.S. Navy reporting documents USS Carney firing an SM-2 in October 2023 during Red Sea defense operations against Houthi missiles and drones.
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Sources